Author Spotlight ~ J.T. Geissinger ~
A former headhunter, J.T. Geissinger is the author of more than a dozen novels in contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
She is the recipient of the Prism Award for Best First Book, the Golden Quill Award for Best Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, and is a two-time finalist for the RITA® Award from the Romance Writers of America® in both the paranormal and contemporary categories. Her work has also finaled in the Booksellers’ Best, National Readers’ Choice, and Daphne du Maurier Awards.
J.T.’s next release is Burn For You, the first book in her Slow Burn series of romances based on classic fairytales, coming October 17, 2017.
Join her Facebook reader’s group, Geiss
Stalk her on Instagram at @JTGeissingerauthor, on Twitter at @JTGeissinger and on https://www.facebook.com/
Q & A
My writing process:
Involves a tremendous amount of wine, hand-wringing, and naps. I really love to nap. It's a cherished hobby. I can plot out an entire novel during a 45-minute nap if I let it simmer in my head before hopping into bed. I think my brain doesn't like to have me coming at it in full-frontal assault mode, but if I trick it by pretending I'm going to sleep for a while, my muse comes out to play and everyone gets along famously. I've been known to leap out of bed screaming, "That's it!" So far, I've convinced my husband not to commit me to a mental institution, but I have no guarantees for the future. (He's pretty sleepy, too, so I might be safe.)
My Top 5 all time favorite reads:
Everything Matters, by Ron Currie, Jr.
Geek Love, by Katherine Dunn
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (NOT THE MOVIE!)
The Bridges of Madison County, by Robert James Waller (NOT THE MOVIE!)
Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Lainie Taylor
All of these books have left a lasting impression on me, even after many years from my first reading. Everything Matters and Geek Love are outrageously unique, with interesting, quirky characters, insanely different plots, and a lot of moral ambiguity that forces the reader to question their own beliefs. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a haunting, exquisite piece of literature with the kind of ambiguous ending that leaves you devastated. I sobbed my way through The Bridges of Madison County because at the time I read it--in my early twenties--I thought it was the most romantic thing I'd ever encountered. I love it when one of the main characters dies at the end because it's so REAL. I've never cried so much reading a book since. And Daughter of Smoke and Bone is gorgeously wrought, with an achingly beautiful central love story that's almost as important as the underlying message of the futility of hatred and the power of the individual (and love) to change the world.
Favorite Movies/TV programs:
My top 3 fav movies are (in order) Moulin Rouge, The Princess Bride, and Pride & Prejudice, the Keira Knightley version. I can watch any of those over and over, and regularly do.
Close runners-up are anything Monty Python, anything Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein especially), Six Feet Under (TV) Deadwood (TV) and Game of Thrones (Go Khaleesi!)
Favorite Foods:
Cheese. (I was a mouse in a former life.)
Tortilla chips and spicy salsa.
Meatballs. I've never met a meatball I didn't love.
Wine. (This counts as food in my house.)
Anything Mexican, Italian, or French. Also Chinese food is amazing, as is Thai and Indian and everything else. So basically food. All food is my favorite. My ideal dream job would be a food writer who travels the world and reports on different restaurants. And visits the local spas and reports on those, too. And takes many naps. *sigh*
When Did you know writing was what you wanted to do:
As a kid, I always hated the question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Like, seriously? I'M TEN. I think we put too much pressure on people to FIND THAT ONE THING, when a life might encompass many different paths and careers. I've always been an entrepreneur because I'm too stubborn and impatient to work for anyone else--and I don't work well in groups--but I've done things as diverse as being a headhunter to a florist. I've always been a voracious reader, however. I read anything and everything, and don't discriminate by genre. I grew up with parents who read everything, too. Our house was littered with books, newspapers, and magazines. My father's study was packed to the ceiling with books about WWII, and my mother read The New York Times every day from cover to cover, and did the crossword in pen.
But I suppose I'm a late bloomer, because it wasn't until my 40th birthday that I realized I wanted to write a novel. So I did. Seven years and fifteen novels later, here we are.
Best way fans can reach me:
My closed FB fan group, Geissinger's Gang, where we hold a weekly Wine Wednesday live chat and giveaway and generally have a lot of fun: http://bit.ly/
EXCLUSIVE GIVEAWAY FOR K&T's BOOK BABBLERS
Signed paperback copy of Wicked Beautiful, book 1 in the Wicked Intentions series, plus a signed copy of Sweet As Sin, book 1 in the Bad Habit series
To enter, join the group and leave a comment!
Current release
Wicked Intentions,
released July 11, 2017,
book 3 in the Wicked Games series
In the Caribbean for his best friend’s wedding, ex special-ops officer and security expert Ryan McLean meets a beautiful woman in the hotel bar. Their connection is immediate and intense, and they spend a passionate night together with pleasure as their only goal.
But when Ryan wakes the following morning to discover the beautiful woman has vanished, along with millions worth of jewels from the safe of the Saudi prince staying in the suite next door, he realizes their meeting wasn’t accidental and becomes determined to find her.
A notorious thief known to authorities only as the Dragonfly, Mariana Lora has one final job to complete before she’s free from the oath that bound her to a life of crime, but the sexy-as-hell Marine she spent one explosive tropical night with is hot on her heels at every turn. She has to outwit him to stay out of jail, but fighting their magnetic attraction soon becomes a game neither one of them can resist.
When Mariana’s last job goes dangerously wrong and she needs Ryan’s help to survive, he has to decide if their game of cat and mouse is only a game, or if he can trust this beautiful thief with something no woman has ever stolen: his heart.
Buy links:
Print:
Upcoming release:
Burn For You
Book 1 in the Slow Burn series
Releasing October 17, 2017
The marriage is fake. But for a sassy chef and an arrogant billionaire, the sparks are real…
Jackson “The Beast” Boudreaux is rich, gorgeous, and unbelievably rude to the staff in Chef Bianca Hardwick’s New Orleans restaurant. Bianca would sooner douse herself in hot sauce than cook for Jackson again, but when he asks her to cater his fund-raiser, Bianca can’t refuse, knowing the cash will help pay her mother’s medical bills. Then Jackson makes another outrageous request: Marry me. Jackson’s unconventional offer includes an enormous sum, money Bianca desperately needs, even if it does come with a contract—and a stunning ring.
The heir to a family bourbon dynasty, Jackson knows the rumors swirling around him. The truth is even darker. Still, he needs a wife in order to secure his inheritance, and free-spirited, sassy Bianca would play the part beautifully. Soon, though, their simple business deal evolves into an emotional intimacy he’s built walls to avoid.
As the passion heats up between them, Bianca and Jackson struggle to define which feelings are real and which are for show. Is falling for your fake fiancé the best happy ending…or a recipe for disaster?
(FREE in Kindle Unlimited)
Amazon US http://amzn.to/2vxB2fN
Amazon UK http://amzn.to/2vdYTBz
Amazon AU http://amzn.to/2vxQCro
Amazon CA http://amzn.to/2u4HcEu
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2uvtz3X
Audible available on October 17
Hello, I thought I had left a message but I must have been dreaming. I too have cheese eating mouse like tendencies. I have found very few that I haven't liked.
ReplyDeleteIf I would have done every career that I wanted to do growing up I would have been a president who had practice law. With a dancer, restaurant chef, world traveling food writer mixed in. I ended up in nursing,traveling with my nieces and enjoying life. The lawyer/president gig wouldn't have worked until now anyway. I have finally gotten old enough to not care about speaking in front of others.
I am glad you found your purpose and hopefully happiness in writing. Life is too short not to enjoy it!